Mangalavaaram
| Mangalavaaram | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ajay Bhupathi |
| Written by | Ajay Bhupathi |
| Story by | Ajay Bhupathi |
| Produced by | Swathi Reddy Gunupati Suresh Varma M. Ajay Bhupathi |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Dasaradhi Sivendra |
| Edited by | Madhav Kumar Gullapalli |
| Music by | B. Ajaneesh Loknath |
Production companies | Mudhra Media Works A Creative Works |
Release date |
|
Running time | 143 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Mangalavaaram (transl. Tuesday) is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language psychological mystery thriller film written and directed by Ajay Bhupathi.[2] It is produced by Swathi Reddy Gunupati, Suresh Varma M., and Ajay Bhupathi, under Mudhra Media Works and A Creative Works. The film features an ensemble cast including Payal Rajput, Nandita Swetha, Priyadarshi Pulikonda, Divya Pillai, Ajmal Ameer, Chaitanya Krishna, and Ravindra Vijay.
The music was composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath[3] with cinematography by Dasaradhi Sivendra and editing by Madhav Kumar Gullapalli. The film released on 17 November 2023.[4][5]
Plot
In 1996, life in a village appears peaceful. A mysterious series of murders then occurs twice: before each killing, someone writes on the wall of a house, accusing a married woman and a married man of having an illicit affair. Soon after, the accused individuals are found dead. The villagers initially believe the victims committed suicide out of shame, until police inspector Maya notices suspicious clues at the crime scenes, suggesting that both cases were murders.
One week later, villagers apprehend a young man named Nani while he is attempting to write on a wall and hand him over to the police. However, Maya soon releases him after reviewing the postmortem reports of the previous victims, concluding that he cannot be the killer. Around the same time, the village doctor Viswanatham claims to have seen the ghost of Sailaja, sparking a terrifying rumor that the murders are being committed by Sailaja’s vengeful spirit.
One year ago, a young man named Sailaja in the village, who was in a mentally disturbed state and suffering from nymphomania, had some casual sex with some men in the village. She was harshly judged, and many men began to harass and exploit her. When the village headman Prakasam learned of this, he ordered Sailaja to be expelled from the village. Shortly afterward, Sailaja was found dead after falling into a well.
One week later, Maya catches the real killer—Viswanatham—while he is once again attempting to write names on a wall. Maya had deduced his involvement from the postmortem reports, which revealed that anesthesia had been used to sedate the victims before their deaths, making Viswanatham the prime suspect. Viswanatham resists arrest and attacks Maya, knocking her unconscious. She later wakes up tied inside Viswanatham’s house, where they confront each other and Viswanatham reveals the truth.
When Sailaja was alive, Viswanatham showed empathy and tried to help her, medically and emotionally. He tried to treat her and brought back Ravi to her - Sailaja's love interest in childhood who was deemed dead ten years ago. Ravi and Sailaja planned to marry and leave the village together, but before they could do so, Prakasam ordered Sailaja to be expelled.
Sailaja did not commit suicide after being driven out; she was murdered. Earlier, she had accidentally witnessed Prakasam’s wife, Rajeswari Devi, having an affair with photographer Vasu. To protect her reputation, Rajeswari Devi manipulated Prakasam into expelling Sailaja and later arranged her murder with the help of several villagers.
Viswanatham and Ravi decided to avenge Sailaja’s death. Together, they killed four people involved in the crime, writing their names on the walls before each murder. As Viswanatham narrates this to Maya, Ravi kills Vasu, leaving Rajeswari Devi as the last person responsible for Sailaja’s death.
Prakasam, who has returned to the village to investigate the ongoing murders, overhears the confrontation between Viswanatham and Maya. After returning home, he kills his wife Rajeswari Devi by burning her alive. He later tells the villagers that Rajeswari Devi sacrificed herself to Mahalaximi to end the cycle of deaths and save the village.
At the end, Maya allows Viswanatham to go free, choosing neither to arrest him nor to reveal the truth to the village.
Cast
- Payal Rajput as Sailaja "Sailu"
- Shaurya as Young Sailu
- Nandita Swetha as SI Maaya
- Priyadarshi Pulikonda as Ravi
- Chaitanya Krishna as Zamindar Prakasam Babu
- Divya Pillai as Rajeswari Devi, Prakasam Babu's wife
- Ajmal Ameer as Madan, Sailaja's Professor
- Ravindra Vijay as RMP Viswanatham
- Aayushi Patel as Professor Madan's wife
- Ajay Ghosh as Kaasi Raju
- Shravan Reddy as Vasu, photographer and Rajeswari's lover
- Lakshman Meesala as Puli 'Guddodu', Kaasi Raju's assistant
- Rahul Varma as Nani
- Srilekha Rajendran as Sooramma, Sailu's grandmother
- Ananth Prabu as Sailaja's father
- Sritej as Guraja
- Thanmai Bolt as Nagamani
- Tharun Bhascker in a special appearance in the song "Appadappada Thaandra"
Production
Development
Principal filming started on 9 December 2022, and the shoot was wrapped up on 13 June 2023.[6]
Payal Rajput played the principal lead in the film, marking her second collaboration with Ajay Bhupathi, after RX 100.[citation needed]
Release
Theatrical
It was released on 17 November 2023, with dubbed versions in four Indian languages:[4][5] Mangalavaara in Kannada, Mangalavaar in Hindi, Chevvaikizhamai in Tamil and Chovvazhcha in Malayalam.[7][8][9][10]
Home media
The film was premiered digitally on Disney Plus Hotstar on 26 December 2023 in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada & Malayalam languages. The film's Hindi dubbed version premiered on Zee Cinema on 9 August 2024 at 8:00 pm.[11]
Music
| Mangalavaaram | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |||||
| Released | 15 December 2023[12] | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 16:00 | ||||
| Language | Telugu | ||||
| Label | Saregama | ||||
| B. Ajaneesh Loknath chronology | |||||
| |||||
| |||||
B. Ajaneesh Loknath composed both the music and background score for the film.[13] The first single, Ganagana Mogalira, was released on 16 August 2023, followed by the second single, Emayyindho Emito, on 7 October.[14] The third single, Appadappada Thaandra, featuring Tharun Bhascker in a cameo appearance, was released on 3 November, and was featured during the end credits of the film.[15][16]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ganagana Mogalira" | Bhaskarabhatla | V. M. Mahalingam | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Emayyindho Emito" | Chaitanya Prasad | Harshika Devanath | 3:51 |
| 3. | "Appadappada Thaandra" | Ganesh A | Rahul Sipligunj | 4:31 |
| 4. | "O Praanama" | Sira Sri | Chinmayi Sripaada | 3:44 |
| Total length: | 16:00 | |||
Background score
The background score was released on 4 January 2024.[17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Truth On The Wall" | 1:58 |
| 2. | "The Village" | 0:39 |
| 3. | "The Shock" | 0:44 |
| 4. | "First Death" | 0:26 |
| 5. | "Reveal" | 1:06 |
| 6. | "Jamindar" | 1:05 |
| 7. | "The Intro" | 0:50 |
| 8. | "The Long First Love" | 2:32 |
| 9. | "The Blind" | 0:43 |
| Total length: | 10:06 | |
References
- ^ "Mangalavaaram (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 14 November 2023. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ "The 'Mangalavaaram' concept poster stimulates curiosity!". The Times of India. 28 February 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "Payal Rajput goes topless in bold 1st look poster of Ajay Bhupathi's Mangalavaaram". India Today. 25 April 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Payal Rajput starrer 'Mangalavaram' to hit screens nationwide on November 17". The Times of India. 26 September 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ a b "The nail-biting thriller will be released in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi,' says makers". 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "It's a Wrap for Ajay Bhupathi's enthralling village thriller 'Mangalavaaram'". The Times of India. 13 June 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Mangalavaar: अजय भूपति की 'मंगलवार' का धमाकेदार टीजर हुआ रिलीज, गांव की पृष्ठभूमि पर आधारित है फिल्म". 18 July 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Ajay Bhupathi's village action thriller 'Chevvaikizhamai' shoot wrapped up". The Hindu. 15 June 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ honey (7 October 2023). "ചൊവ്വാഴ്ചയിലെ പുതിയ ഗാനം പുറത്ത്". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "'Mangalavaaram' to have pan-India release on November 17". Telugu Times - USA NRI Telugu News Telugu News Papers In USA. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ Sharma, Bhavana (26 December 2023). "Mangalavaram OTT Release Confirmed". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Mangalavaaram (Album)". Spotify. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Second single 'Emayyindho Emito' from director Ajay Bhupathi's 'Mangalavaaram' unveiled". IndustryHit.Com. 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Emayindho Ento from Mangalavaaram out". Cinema Express. 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Appadappada Thaandra song from Mangalavaaram is out". Cinema Express. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "Tharun Bhascker to make special appearance in 'Mangalavaaram' song 'Appadappada Tandra'". Sakshi Post. 2 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "Mangalavaaram – OST". Spotify. Retrieved 4 January 2024.